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Bercea M, Lupu A. Recent Insights into Glucose-Responsive Concanavalin A-Based Smart Hydrogels for Controlled Insulin Delivery. Gels 2024; 10:260. [PMID: 38667679 PMCID: PMC11048858 DOI: 10.3390/gels10040260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Many efforts are continuously undertaken to develop glucose-sensitive biomaterials able of controlling glucose levels in the body and self-regulating insulin delivery. Hydrogels that swell or shrink as a function of the environmental free glucose content are suitable systems for monitoring blood glucose, delivering insulin doses adapted to the glucose concentration. In this context, the development of sensors based on reversible binding to glucose molecules represents a continuous challenge. Concanavalin A (Con A) is a bioactive protein isolated from sword bean plants (Canavalia ensiformis) and contains four sugar-binding sites. The high affinity for reversibly and specifically binding glucose and mannose makes Con A as a suitable natural receptor for the development of smart glucose-responsive materials. During the last few years, Con A was used to develop smart materials, such as hydrogels, microgels, nanoparticles and films, for producing glucose biosensors or drug delivery devices. This review is focused on Con A-based materials suitable in the diagnosis and therapeutics of diabetes. A brief outlook on glucose-derived theranostics of cancer is also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bercea
- “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41-A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
| | - Alexandra Lupu
- “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41-A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
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Martínez-Navarrete M, Pérez-López A, Guillot AJ, Cordeiro AS, Melero A, Aparicio-Blanco J. Latest advances in glucose-responsive microneedle-based systems for transdermal insulin delivery. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 263:130301. [PMID: 38382776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The development of a self-regulated minimally invasive system for insulin delivery can be considered as the holy grail in the field of diabetes mellitus. A delivery system capable of releasing insulin in response to blood glucose levels would significantly improve the quality of life of diabetic patients, eliminating the need for frequent finger-prick tests and providing better glycaemic control with lower risk of hypoglycaemia. In this context, the latest advances in glucose-responsive microneedle-based transdermal insulin delivery are here compiled with a thorough analysis of the delivery mechanisms and challenges lying ahead in their clinical translation. Two main groups of microneedle-based systems have been developed so far: glucose oxidase-containing and phenylboronic acid-containing systems. Both strategies in combination have also been tested and two other novel strategies are under development, namely electronic closed-loop and glucose transporter-based systems. Results from preclinical studies conducted using these different types of glucose-triggered release systems are comprehensively discussed. Altogether, this analysis from both a mechanistic and translational perspective will provide rationale and/or guidance for future trends in the research hotspot of glucose-responsive microneedle-based insulin delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miquel Martínez-Navarrete
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alexandre Pérez-López
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Food Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio José Guillot
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Sara Cordeiro
- Leicester Institute for Pharmaceutical Innovation, Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Ana Melero
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan Aparicio-Blanco
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Food Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Industrial Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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Shen D, Yu H, Wang L, Wang Y, Feng J, Li C. Electrostatic-Interaction-Aided Microneedle Patch for Enhanced Glucose-Responsive Insulin Delivery and Three-Meal-Per-Day Blood-Glucose Regulation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:4449-4461. [PMID: 38252958 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The phenylborate-ester-cross-linked hydrogel microneedle patch (MNP) was promising in the diabetic field for the glucose-responsive insulin-delivering property and simple fabrication process. However, the unfit design of the charging microneedle network limited the improvement of blood-glucose regulating performances. In this work, insulin-loaded phenylborate-ester-cross-linked MNPs, with the polyzwitterion property, were constructed based on the modified ε-polylysine and poly(vinyl alcohol). The relationship between the charging nature of the MNP network and insulin release was verified by regulating the content of postprotonated positively charged amino groups. The elaborately designed MNP possessed improved glucose-responsive insulin-delivering performance. The in vivo study revealed the satisfactory results on blood-glucose regulation by the optimized MNP under the mimic three-meal-per-day mode. Moreover, the insulin bioactivity in the MNP could be maintained for 2 weeks under 25 °C. In summary, this work developed an effective strategy to improve the glucose-responsive phenylborate-ester-cross-linked MNP and enhance its potential for clinical transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Haojie Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Zhejiang-Russia Joint Laboratory of Photo-Electro-Magnetic Functional Materials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Zhejiang-Russia Joint Laboratory of Photo-Electro-Magnetic Functional Materials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Jingyi Feng
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Evaluation Technology for Medical Device of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, P. R. China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, P. R. China
| | - Chengjiang Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, P. R. China
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Ma Y, Wang W, He M, Liu Y, Li C, Zhong Y, Bu Q, Huang D, Qian H, Chen W. PVA-based bulk microneedles capable of high insulin loading and pH-triggered degradation for multi-responsive and sustained hypoglycemic therapy. Biomater Sci 2024; 12:507-517. [PMID: 38088652 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm01760e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
"Closed-loop" insulin-loaded microneedle patche shows great promise for improving therapeutic outcomes and life quality for diabetes patients. However, it is typically hampered by limited insulin loading capacity, random degradation, and intricate preparation procedures for the independence of the "closed-loop" bulk microneedles. In this study, we combined the solubility of microneedles and "closed-loop" systems and designed poly(vinyl alcohol)-based bulk microneedles (MNs@GI) through in situ photopolymerization for multi-responsive and sustained hypoglycemic therapy, which significantly simplified the preparation process and improved insulin loading. GOx/insulin co-encapsulated MNs@GI with a phenylboronic ester structure improved glycemic responsiveness to control the insulin release under high glucose conditions and reduced inflammation risk in the normal skin. MNs@GI could further degrade to increase insulin release due to the crosslinked acetal-linkage hydrolysis in the presence of gluconic acid, which was caused by GOx-mediated glucose-oxidation in a hyperglycemic environment. The in vivo results showed that MNs@GI effectively regulated glycemic levels within the normal range for approximately 10 h compared to that of only insulin-loaded microneedles (MNs@INS). Consequently, the highly insulin-loaded, multi-responsive, and pH-triggered MN system has tremendous potential for diabetes treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhong Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Mujiao He
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Yunzhu Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Caihua Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Yinan Zhong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Quanmin Bu
- Department of Public Security and Management, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Dechun Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Hongliang Qian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P. R. China.
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Qi Z, Yan Z, Tan G, Kundu SC, Lu S. Smart Responsive Microneedles for Controlled Drug Delivery. Molecules 2023; 28:7411. [PMID: 37959830 PMCID: PMC10649748 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28217411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
As an emerging technology, microneedles offer advantages such as painless administration, good biocompatibility, and ease of self-administration, so as to effectively treat various diseases, such as diabetes, wound repair, tumor treatment and so on. How to regulate the release behavior of loaded drugs in polymer microneedles is the core element of transdermal drug delivery. As an emerging on-demand drug-delivery technology, intelligent responsive microneedles can achieve local accurate release of drugs according to external stimuli or internal physiological environment changes. This review focuses on the research efforts in smart responsive polymer microneedles at home and abroad in recent years. It summarizes the response mechanisms based on various stimuli and their respective application scenarios. Utilizing innovative, responsive microneedle systems offers a convenient and precise targeted drug delivery method, holding significant research implications in transdermal drug administration. Safety and efficacy will remain the key areas of continuous efforts for research scholars in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Qi
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Z.Q.); (Z.Y.); (G.T.)
| | - Zheng Yan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Z.Q.); (Z.Y.); (G.T.)
| | - Guohongfang Tan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Z.Q.); (Z.Y.); (G.T.)
| | - Subhas C. Kundu
- 3Bs Research Group, I3Bs Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegrabilities, and Biomimetics, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University of Minho, AvePark, Guimaraes, 4805-017 Barco, Portugal;
| | - Shenzhou Lu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Z.Q.); (Z.Y.); (G.T.)
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